The Search for the Stone of Excalibur by Fiona Ingram

Continuing the
adventure that began in Egypt a
few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin
Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven
ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of
a newly discovered sword that archaeologists believe belonged to King Arthur:
Excalibur. However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as
they travel to Scotland to
investigate an old castle. Little do they know there is another deadly force,
the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Time is running
out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. Can Justin and Adam find the
second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl with
them?

Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but
also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important
clues to the Seven Stones of Power. As their adventure unfolds, they learn many
things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt
look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems
to have such good ideas when they are stumped. Book extras include some historical
background on King Arthur, the Dark Ages, warfare and weaponry during Arthur’s
time, and details on Excalibur. A fascinating peek into the life and times of
the real King Arthur, perfect for young time travelers and budding
archaeologists.

Adam shivered in the chilly air. It was hard
to tell if it was early morning or late evening because the moon was still
visible, a pale disc hanging in a dark gray sky. Ragged shreds of clouds
scudded across the moon’s face, casting strange shadows on the ground in front
of him. Mist floated around his ankles and swirled in soft eddies when he moved
his feet. In front of him lay an open field, grayish green in the dim light.
Farther away, he saw the mound of a huge hill. Adam got the feeling he had
fallen through a hole in time—back to the Dark Ages, back to Arthur’s era.

He heard a faint howling noise in the
distance. Wolves? Adam froze with fear. He desperately tried to remember
whether there had still been wolves in England
during the Dark Ages. There must have been because there was no other sound
quite like the howl of a wolf. The hairs on his arms rose as he heard the howl
again. Although he pinched himself to wake up, it was no good; he remained in
the dream. At the sound of distant hoof beats, he shrank back against a large
tree trunk. There was no time to run away because suddenly the drumming hooves
were all around him. Then came the faint melancholy wail of a battle horn and
the tinny sound of chinking metal. He could hear the crisp snap-snap of fluttering pennants and when he turned, he glimpsed
banners waving among the trees. The surge of spectral riders halted and one
man, seated on a white horse, appeared at the head of the cavalcade.

The eerie figure came closer, the horse
lifting its feet carefully, clip-clopping right up to the trembling boy. The
horse was huge, its trappings gleaming with pinpoints of metal rosettes, its
long tail and mane hanging like ghostly cobwebs in the pale moonlight. The
beast snorted and stamped restlessly. Adam saw the burnished glint of a helmet
with a dragon-shaped crest topped by a red plume. Although the cheek pieces of
the helmet obscured the man’s features, the shadowy figure was looking right at
him. A red cloak swirled around the warrior’s body and, as the fabric swung
aside, Adam saw the gleam of chain mail and the dark shape of a breastplate on
the man’s chest. The warrior’s armor seemed more Roman than he expected. A
banner flapped from the spear of a man behind the warrior: a red dragon on a
white background. The warrior raised one arm, and a roar erupted as the sounds
of cheering burst from what seemed to be thousands of throats. Although Adam
heard strange words in another language, somehow he understood what the voices
said.

“Hail the Pendragon!”

Adam was so close that he could have
reached out and touched the rider. The spectral figure drew his sword from its
scabbard and held it aloft. It seemed to Adam that he saw every detail with
strangely magnified clarity. It was the same sword from the museum, but it
looked so different now. The metal gleamed with a peculiar bluish sheen. Curious
characters embossed the length of the blade. At the top, just under the
crossguard, was a small circle with a seven-pointed star inside it. Sparkling
gems decorated the hilt and pommel, with two dragons’ heads facing inward on
the crossguard. The stone between the dragons’ open mouths glowed brilliant
red. Suddenly, a fiery, almost blinding light shot from the stone, dazzling
him. The white horse reared on its hindquarters. The radiant beam lit up the
forest as the warrior whirled the blade around his head several times. Adam
fell to his knees, shaking with a mixture of terror and excitement as he
realized the second Stone of Power was embedded in the sword of Arthur. But the
stone in the museum sword was nothing like this one.